January 07, 2011

Scholarship Offered for Island Environmental Leadership Lab

Island high school students are invited to join teens from across the country for a week-long outdoor adventure and an outstanding environmental leadership program—the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL) on Hawai‘i Island in April.

The Kohala Center and Brown University are offering a full scholarship for one student to attend BELL Hawai‘i from April 15-22. This select national leadership program integrates the development of leadership skills with outstanding opportunities for high school students to study the biology, ecology, and cultural traditions of Hawai‘i Island.

Noa Eads, a 2010 scholarship recipient and currently a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, describes BELL Hawai‘i as “a life changing experience.”

“The BELLprogram had an amazing staff that pulled and tied together every part of the brain, the land, the sea, culture, fun, and social interactions. The experience changed my life, and I made friends from all around the world in just one week!” Eads said.

Students spend the week meeting with cultural practitioners to learn about the culture and history of the island, participating in the restoration of native forests, exploring the geological wonders of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, kayaking, camping near the ocean, and learning about coral reef ecology and management. In addition to providing incredible adventures and experiences, the program gives students a chance to identify and develop their group building and leadership skills.

“Noa was really inspired by the BELLprogram,” said his mother, Calley O’Neill. “He came home and said he had not realized that HE could be a leader. Since that experience, Noa has set his sights on leading the way to self sufficiency and ecological restoration for Hawai‘i Island.”

"The program helped me to see Hawai‘i in a new perspective,” said Kekai Edens, another 2010 BELL Hawai‘i scholarship recipient. “It taught me to pay attention to each different organism that makes up this very bio-diverse environment and to appreciate its place in the overall system," said Edens, currently a senior at Ke Ana La‘ahana Public Charter School in Hilo.

Monday, January 31, is the deadline to submit all application materials directly to The Kohala Center. Application materials can be downloaded at www.kohalacenter.org/scholarships/bellhi.htmlor are available from The Kohala Center, 808- 887-6411. The application must include an official school transcript and a one-page essay describing what you hope to learn during this course. Hawai‘i Island students applying for this scholarship do not need to pay the deposit or application fee.

For more program details, visit the BELL Web site, http://brown.edu/ce/pre-college/leadership/hawaii/program.php. Brown University partners with The Kohala Center to offer this competitive program for precollege students with interests in science, leadership, and cultural studies. The Kohala Center is an independent center for research and education about and for the environment, and links together a diverse network of island-based institutions with expertise in the physical and cultural sciences, politics, education, and history. Both Brown University and The Kohala Center are committed to helping Hawai‘i Island residents care for and celebrate Hawai‘i’s unique natural and cultural landscape. To learn more about The Kohala Center’s programs, see www.kohalacenter.org.

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Scholarship Offered for Island Environmental Leadership Lab

Island high school students are invited to join teens from across the country for a week-long outdoor adventure and an outstanding environmental leadership program—the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab (BELL) on Hawai‘i Island in April.

The Kohala Center and Brown University are offering a full scholarship for one student to attend BELL Hawai‘i from April 15-22. This select national leadership program integrates the development of leadership skills with outstanding opportunities for high school students to study the biology, ecology, and cultural traditions of Hawai‘i Island.

Noa Eads, a 2010 scholarship recipient and currently a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, describes BELL Hawai‘i as “a life changing experience.”

“The BELLprogram had an amazing staff that pulled and tied together every part of the brain, the land, the sea, culture, fun, and social interactions. The experience changed my life, and I made friends from all around the world in just one week!” Eads said.

Students spend the week meeting with cultural practitioners to learn about the culture and history of the island, participating in the restoration of native forests, exploring the geological wonders of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, kayaking, camping near the ocean, and learning about coral reef ecology and management. In addition to providing incredible adventures and experiences, the program gives students a chance to identify and develop their group building and leadership skills.

“Noa was really inspired by the BELLprogram,” said his mother, Calley O’Neill. “He came home and said he had not realized that HE could be a leader. Since that experience, Noa has set his sights on leading the way to self sufficiency and ecological restoration for Hawai‘i Island.”

"The program helped me to see Hawai‘i in a new perspective,” said Kekai Edens, another 2010 BELL Hawai‘i scholarship recipient. “It taught me to pay attention to each different organism that makes up this very bio-diverse environment and to appreciate its place in the overall system," said Edens, currently a senior at Ke Ana La‘ahana Public Charter School in Hilo.

Monday, January 31, is the deadline to submit all application materials directly to The Kohala Center. Application materials can be downloaded at www.kohalacenter.org/scholarships/bellhi.htmlor are available from The Kohala Center, 808- 887-6411. The application must include an official school transcript and a one-page essay describing what you hope to learn during this course. Hawai‘i Island students applying for this scholarship do not need to pay the deposit or application fee.

For more program details, visit the BELL Web site, http://brown.edu/ce/pre-college/leadership/hawaii/program.php. Brown University partners with The Kohala Center to offer this competitive program for precollege students with interests in science, leadership, and cultural studies. The Kohala Center is an independent center for research and education about and for the environment, and links together a diverse network of island-based institutions with expertise in the physical and cultural sciences, politics, education, and history. Both Brown University and The Kohala Center are committed to helping Hawai‘i Island residents care for and celebrate Hawai‘i’s unique natural and cultural landscape. To learn more about The Kohala Center’s programs, see www.kohalacenter.org.

Guava Bee

Did you know that when a bee finds a source of nectar she goes back to the hive and does a dance known as the waggle? The farther away the flower, the longer and more intricate the dance becomes. Unfortunately, the mutant Guava Bee does not dance, she blogs. She's here to tell you, there's sweetness somewhere on the Big Island of Hawaii.
(Photo by Heidi Vickery-Uechi)